New Great Allegheny Passage Study Out

By Bruce Cohen - April 3, 2015

Read the full report here.

The latest Trail User Survey and Business Survey Report for the Great Allegheny Passage continues to extoll the benefits of a vibrant trail system for surrounding towns.

Some highlights:

• The percent of people staying on the trail for multiple days has more than doubled: from 23% in 2011 to 57% in 2014. 62% of users stay overnight.
• Overnight spending has increased $26, with an average spending of $124.58 per night.
• Businesses report an overall increase of trail user traffic: 34% in 2013 to 41% in 2014.
• Trail users are in larger groups – in 2011 34% of trail users were alone, in 2014 only 19% were alone
• The percentage of businesses that close for more than two weeks during the year has decreased by 5% since 2011!
• Twelve of the eighteen businesses that are planning to expand are doing so because of the trail.

The GAP is great for business! Read the full study for more information and some great charts!